Dye release apparatus

ABSTRACT

A dye release apparatus for an underwater device which has a receptacle adapted to contain a dye wherein the dye release apparatus may include a cap over the receptacle, the cap having a central bore with an internal annular recess; a plug slidably disposed within the bore of the cap; spring means for biasing the plug upwardly away from the receptacle and out of the cap; the top of the plug having a land which forms an annular seat; and a retainer ring disposed on the seat and biased opened to recess within the internal annular recess of the cap for retaining the plug in the cap against the spring force. With such an arrangement descent of the underwater device causes the plug to be depressed downwardly within the bore of the cap until the retainer ring snaps into an area above the seat, and upon ascent, the spring expels the plug from the cap so that dye within the receptacle is open for dissemination into the surrounding water.

[ Oct. 30, 1973 United States Patent [191 Martini DYE RELEASE APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Leonard J. Martini, Monrovia,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC.

[22] Filed: Mar. 30, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 346,375

[52] US. Cl. 116/124 B, 9/9, 114/20, 340/366 F [51] int. Cl. G091 9/00 [58] Field of Search 9/9; 114/20; 116/124 B; 340/366 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,346,325 4/1944 Oliver 340/366 R 2,459,267 1/1949 Dwyer et al. 340/366 F 3,474,537 6/1949 MacLeod 340/366 F 2,687,541 8/1954 Bannister 9/9 UX 2,818,586 1/1958 Dayer et al. 9/9

2,836,143 5/1958 Shofi 1l6/124B 2,989,024 6/1961 Tralongo 116/124 B 3,049,091 8/1962 Carroll et al. 116/124 B 3,175,525 3/1965 DeVries 116/124 B *Z-Z ZY I; 1?;

Naiciechowski et al 9/9 X Reiffel 116/124 8 [57] ABSTRACT A dye release apparatus for an underwater device which has a receptacle adapted to contain a dye wherein the dye. release apparatus may include a cap over the receptacle, the cap having a central bore with an internal annular recess; a plug slidably disposed within the bore of the cap; spring means for biasing the plug upwardly away from the receptacle and out of the cap; the top of the plug having a land which forms an annular seat; and a retainer ring disposed on the seat and biased opened to recess within the internal annular recess of the cap for retaining the plug in the cap against the spring force. With such an arrangement descent of the underwater device causes the plug to be depressed downwardly within the bore of the cap until the retainer ring snaps into an area above the seat, and upon ascent, the spring expels the plug from the cap so that dye within the receptacle is open for dissemination into the surrounding water.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 2'40? '1 44 t- UH -I42:

DYE RELEASE APPARATUS STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The U. S. Navy employs a considerable number of practice torpedoes for exercise purposes. After the torpedo has made its run it is designed to surface so that it can be retrieved and utilized again for other practice shots. Locating these practice torpedoes at sea is often a difficult task, and usually requires some sort of indicating mechanism to signal the ship or aircraft which is making the search. The use of a dye disposed within the torpedo has been used in the past for marking the water in the area where the torpedo surfaces. This dye is continuously released during the entire run of the torpedo which is wasteful and requires an additional amount of dye to be carried by the torpedo. Accordingly, there has been a strong need for a dye release mechanism which will release substantially all of the dye at the location where the torpedo surfaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has overcome the aforementioned problem by providing a dye release apparatus which releases the dye only at the surface of the water or very close thereto. The dye release apparatus includes a cap which is disposed over a dye containing receptacle within the torpedo, the cap having a central bore with an internal annular recess. A plug is slidably disposed within the bore of the cap and spring means are employed for biasing the plug upwardly away from the receptacle and out of the cap. The top of the plug has a land which forms an annular seat, and a container ring is disposed on the seat and biased open to recess within the internal annular recess of the cap for retaining the plug in the cap against the spring force. With such an arrangement, when the torpedo descends, the plug is depressed downwardly within the bore of the cap until the retainer ring snaps into the area above the seat, and upon ascent of the torpedo, the spring expels the plug from the cap so that dye within the receptacle is open for dissemination into the surrounding water. Accordingly, the dye is not released while the torpedo is making its run, but only at some point during the ascent of the torpedo toward the surface of the water.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned problem associated with prior art dye release mechanisms for torpedoes.

Another object is to provide an underwater device with a dye release apparatus which will open and release the dye during ascent of the underwater device in the water.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is an ocean elevational view illustrating a torpedo tired from a submarine.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional view of the torpedo.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along plane IIII of FIG. 1 illustrating the dye release apparatus within the torpedo.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along plane III- III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2 except the plug has been released and dye is being disseminated into the surrounding ocean water.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like or similar parts throughout the several views, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 an underwater device, such as a practice torpedo 10, which has just been released or fired from a water vehicle, such as a submarine 12. After the torpedo 10 has made its run and begins its ascent towards the surface of the water for recovery purposes it is desirable that the torpedo release a dye for marking purposes. This has been accomplished by a dye release apparatus 14 which is illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the torpedo 10 has a receptacle 16 which is adapted to contain a dye 18. A cap 20 is disposed over the receptacle 16 so as to generally retain the dye within the torpedo. The cap 20 may be sealably disposed within a counterbore 22 within the hull of the torpedo by an O-ring 21, and retained therein by a retainer ring 24. The cap 20 is provided with a central bore 26 which in turn has an internal annular recess 28.

A plug 30 is slidably and sealably disposed within the bore 26 of the cap with an O-ring 31 so as to provide a means for releasing the dye 18 from the receptacle 16 after the plug is removed. Spring means, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are utilized for biasing the plug 30 upwardly from the receptacle l6 and out of the cap 20.

In order to retain the plug 30 in the cap 20 the top of the plug is provided with a land 32 which forms an annular seat 34. A retainer ring 36 is disposed on the seat 34 and is biased open to recess within the internal annular recess 28 of the cap for retaining the plug 30 in the cap 20 against the spring force. With such an arrangement, descent of the torpedo causes the plug 30 to be depressed downwardly within the bore of the cap 20 until the retainer ring 36 snaps into the area above the seat 34, and upon ascent of the torpedo, the spring force expels plug 30 from the cap 20 so that the dye 18 within the receptacle 16 is open for dissemination into the surrounding sea water. I

In order to provide support for the plug 30 within the cap 20 and also to provide a spring means mentioned hereinabove, the cap 20 may be provided with a tubular extension 38 which extends downwardly into the receptacle l6, and the plug 30 may be provided with a downwardly extending tubular extension 40 which is slidably disposed within the tubular extension 38 of the cap. The tubular extension 38 may be provided with a plurality of apertures 42 for enabling surrounding sea water to penetrate the receptacle space 16 when the plug 30 is expelled from the cap 20. The spring means further includes a compression spring which is disposed within the tubular extensions 38 and 40 for applying the upwardly biasing force to the plug 30.

In order to facilitate insertion of the retainer ring 36 within the recess 28 the top of the plug 30 may be provided with a second land 46 on top of the first mentioned land 32 so as to provide another annular seat 48 above the first mentioned seat 34. With such an arrangement the plug 30 may be disposed within the bore of the cap 20 with the retainer ring 34 located about the seat 48. When the plug 30 is depressed so that the retainer ring 36 is opposite the recess 28 the retainer ring can then be expanded into the recess and the plug raised until the ring is disposed within the lower seat 34.

In order to retain the plug 30 from any downward movement prior to utilization of the torpedo, the plug 30 may be provided with a projection 50 which extends upwardly from the upper land 46. The projection may be provided with a hole 52 for receiving a lanyard 54. When the lanyard 54 extends through hole 52 it will bear on the exterior hull of the torpedo to prevent any downward movement of the plug 30 within the cap 20. The lanyard 54 may be connected to the submarine or similar underwater device. so that when the torpedo is discharged the lanyard will be automatically pulled from the plug 30, thereby readying the dye release apparatus for operation.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION In the operation of the invention an underwater device, such as the torpedo 10, is released from an underwater vehicle such as the submarine 12, at which time the dye release mechanism 14 may be actuated for use by the pulling of the lanyard 54. The pulling of the lanyard 54 enables the plug 30 to be depressed by the sea water pressure, the amount of pressure being dependent upon the design of the compression strength of the spring 44 and the cross-sectional area of the plug 30 at O-ring 31. When the sea water pressure depresses the plug 30 the retainer ring 34 snaps into the upper seat 48, as illustrated in FIG. 3, so as to release the plug 30 from the cap 20. The plug 30 will remain depressed within the cap 20 so long as sufficient water pressure is present. Upon ascent of the torpedo the water pressure will lessen and the compression spring 44 will expel the plug 30 from the cap 20. The dye 18 within the receptacle 16 is then exposed to the surrounding sea water through the apertures 42. The mixing between the dye and the sea water will cause the surrounding water to be marked with the dye so that a recovery craft may visually spot the torpedo for recovery.

It is now readily apparent that the present invention provides a very unique and reliable means for disseminating marker dye within surrounding water upon the ascent of an underwater device.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. In an underwater device having a receptacle which is adapted to contain a dye, a dye release apparatus comprising:

a cap over the receptacle;

said cap having a central bore with an internal annular recess;

a plug slidably disposed within the bore of said cap;

spring means for biasing the plug upwardly from the receptacle and out of the cap;

the top of the plug having a land which forms an annular seat; and

a retainer ring disposed on the seat and biased open to recess within the internal annular recess of the cap for retaining the plug in the cap against the spring force;

whereby upon descent of the underwater device the plug is depressed downwardly within the bore of the cap until the retainer ring snaps into the area above the seat, and upon ascent, the spring expels the plug from the cap so that dye within the receptacle is open for dissemination into the surrounding water.

2. A combination as claimed in claim 1 including:

said cap having a tubular extension which extends downwardly into said receptacle;

said plug having a downwardly extending tubular extension which is slidably disposed within the tubular extension of the cap; and

the tubular extension of the cap apertures, whereby sea water will penetrate the receptacle space through the apertures when the plug is expelled from the cap.

3. A combination as claimed in claim 2 including:

said spring means being a compression spring which is disposed within the tubular extensions.

4. A combination as claimed in claim 3 including:

the bottom of the plug being spaced from the bottom of the bore within said cap.

5. A combination as claimed in claim 1 including:

the top of said plug having a second land on top of the first mentioned land so as to form another annular seat above the first mentioned seat.

6. A combination as claimed in claim 5 including:

said plug having a projection which extends upwardly from the second land; and

said projection having a hole for receiving a lanyard for retaining the plug in a downwardly retained position within the cap.

7. A combination as claimed in claim 6 including:

said cap having a tubular extension which extends downwardly into said receptacle;

said plug having a downwardly extending tubular extension which is slidably disposed within the tubular extension of the cap; and

the tubular extension of the cap having apertures,

whereby sea water will penetrate the receptacle space through the apertures when the plug is expelled from the cap.

8. A combination as claimed in claim 7 including:

said spring means being a compression spring which is disposed within the tubular extensions.

the bottom of the plug being spaced from bottom of the bore within said cap.

9. A combination as claimed in claim 8 including:

an O ring below the retainer ring for sealing the plug within the cap. 

1. In an underwater device having a receptacle which is adapted to contain a dye, a dye release apparatus comprising: a cap over the receptacle; said cap having a central bore with an internal annular recess; a plug slidably disposed within the bore of said cap; spring means for biasing the plug upwardly from the receptacle and out of the cap; the top of the plug having a land which forms an annular seat; and a retainer ring disposed on the seat and biased open to recess within the internal annular recess of the cap for retaining the plug in the cap against the spring force; whereby upon descent of the underwater device the plug is depressed downwardly within the bore of the cap until the retainer ring snaps into the area above the seat, and upon ascent, the spring expels the plug from the cap so That dye within the receptacle is open for dissemination into the surrounding water.
 2. A combination as claimed in claim 1 including: said cap having a tubular extension which extends downwardly into said receptacle; said plug having a downwardly extending tubular extension which is slidably disposed within the tubular extension of the cap; and the tubular extension of the cap apertures, whereby sea water will penetrate the receptacle space through the apertures when the plug is expelled from the cap.
 3. A combination as claimed in claim 2 including: said spring means being a compression spring which is disposed within the tubular extensions.
 4. A combination as claimed in claim 3 including: the bottom of the plug being spaced from the bottom of the bore within said cap.
 5. A combination as claimed in claim 1 including: the top of said plug having a second land on top of the first mentioned land so as to form another annular seat above the first mentioned seat.
 6. A combination as claimed in claim 5 including: said plug having a projection which extends upwardly from the second land; and said projection having a hole for receiving a lanyard for retaining the plug in a downwardly retained position within the cap.
 7. A combination as claimed in claim 6 including: said cap having a tubular extension which extends downwardly into said receptacle; said plug having a downwardly extending tubular extension which is slidably disposed within the tubular extension of the cap; and the tubular extension of the cap having apertures, whereby sea water will penetrate the receptacle space through the apertures when the plug is expelled from the cap.
 8. A combination as claimed in claim 7 including: said spring means being a compression spring which is disposed within the tubular extensions. the bottom of the plug being spaced from bottom of the bore within said cap.
 9. A combination as claimed in claim 8 including: an O ring below the retainer ring for sealing the plug within the cap. 